Ebenezer Laughton (Earth-616)
__TOC__ Real Name: Ebenezer Laughton Nicknames: None Former Aliases: Umberto the Uncanny Other Current Aliases: None Status Occupation: Former carnival performer, now professional criminal Legal Status: Citizen of the United States with a criminal record Identity: Secret; Known to the authorities Marital Status: Single Group Affiliation: Former operative of Count Nefaria and the Cowled Commander Base of Operations: New York City area Origin Ebenezer Laughton was a naturally flexible, lithe, double-jointed youth who saw a “rubber man�? perform at a traveling carnival and became obsessed with emulating him. Training himself almost incessantly, Laughton learned to twist and bend his body into numerous unusual positions and perform various acrobatic stunts. A brief audition of his abilities gained him a job at a live variety show where he billed himself as Umberto the Uncanny. During one of his performances, Iron Man entered the theater in pursuit of a criminal whom he observed robbing the ticket vendor outside. Seeking publicity, Laughton stopped the thief with a simple acrobatic move. As Iron Man carried the criminal away, Laughton realized the potential in his particular skills for illegitimate gain. Soon afterword, he stole a scarecrow outfit from a costume shop and adopted the identity of the Scarecrow. Place of Birth: Rhinebeck, New York Known Relatives: Ralph Laughton (Brother) First Appearance: Tales of Suspense #51 History The Scarecrow chose for his first outing as a costumed criminal, the apartment of wealthy socialite and industrialist Anthony Stark. At first attempting to steal Stark’s valuables and money, the Scarecrow discovered top secret industrial designs in the apartment and decided to sell them to the highest bidder. This theft led him into battle with Anthony Stark’s alter ego, Iron Man. He later was freed by Count Luchino Nefaria and was teamed with the Eel, Plantman, and the Porcupine in Nefaria’s bid to capture and hold Washington for ransom. When Nefaria’s plans failed, the Scarecrow and his fellow henchmen fled. They were later recruited by the Cowled Commander and pitted against Captain America and the Falcon, who defeated them. While serving a several-year prison term, including a year in solitary confinement, the Scarecrow went insane from his hatred of various enemies. When he was finally paroled, the Scarecrow set out on a campaign to murder supporters of the Coalition for an Upstanding America, a morality-in-media organization. He managed to kill two of them and take over a fund-raising telethon before Captain America defeated him. The Scarecrow is currently in prison again. Characteristics Height: 6' Weight: 165 lbs Eyes: Brown Hair: Brown Unusual Features: No unusual features Powers Strength Level: The Scarecrow possesses the normal human strength of a man his age, height, and build who engages in intensive regular exercise. Known Powers: No known powers. Known Abilities: *'Contortionist:' The Scarecrow possesses the agility of a professional contortionist. He has trained himself to be able to escape from conventional locks and chains. Miscellaneous *'Trained Crows:' The Scarecrow is assisted in his crimes by a flock of crows whom he has trained to perform a variety of actions, according to signals he gives them through his hand gestures and tone of voice. **'Attack Targets' - At the Scarecrow's command, the crows will attack and even kill designated living targets. **'Defense' - The crows have been trained to automatically attack anyone who rushes at the Scarecrow or points a gun at him. **'Carry Objects' - The Crows are are trained to find and carry off jewels, valuabls or anything else at which the Scarecrow points. Notes * Trivia * Recommended Readings *Ghost Rider Annual #2 (Flashback) *Tales of Suspense #51 - First Appearance and Origin. *Untold Tales of Spider-Man #22 *Fantastic Four Annual #3 *Uncanny X-Men #22 *Uncanny X-Men #23 *Captain America #158 *Captain America #159 *Captain America Annual #6 *Captain America #279 *Captain America #280 *Avengers Spotlight #26 (2nd Story) *Avengers: Death Trap, The Vault *Ghost Rider (Vol 3) #7 *Ghost Rider (Vol 3) #38 *Ghost Rider Annual #2 *Ghost Rider (Vol 3) #63 *Ghost Rider (Vol 3) #64 *Ghost Rider (Vol 3) #65 *Ghost Rider (Vol 3) #81 *Ghost Rider (Vol 3) #82 *Ghost Rider (Vol 3) #83 *Ghost Rider (Vol 3) #84 *Ghost Rider (Vol 3) #85 *Ghost Rider (Vol 3) #86 *Avengers (Vol 3) #64 Related Articles * External Links * References * Category:Characters Category:Living Characters Category:Male Characters Category:Bad Characters Category:Secret Identity Category:Brown Hair Category:Brown Eyes